


Love really bites

by plikki



Series: Keeping it under wraps [3]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Love Bites, Overused trope, Secret Relationship, but I had to do it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:01:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24577249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/plikki/pseuds/plikki
Summary: A moment of carelessness can put at risk a carefully guarded secret
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: Keeping it under wraps [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1592848
Comments: 10
Kudos: 227





	Love really bites

**Author's Note:**

> This is probably a real cliche relationship reveal, but I had the idea and well... here it is. Also the title is terrible, but I couldn't help it, haha.  
> I had to write this down two times, because I lost it the first time. I'm this stubborn. I hope it was worth the effort!

Adrien got out of the car with a bounce in his step. It was a beautiful morning, the sun was shining and the birds were singing. And he was happy. 

Yes, he'd had to get up early to leave a sleepy Marinette behind in order to get back home to get ready for school. Yes, he could have used the extra hour of sleep. But it had been worth it. He loved sleeping next to her. And also here she was. 

She was talking to Alya, rubbing the sleep off her eyes. His heart swelled with love at the innocent gesture. He was sure she'd fallen asleep again after he'd left. Although he'd warned her again and again. She liked using every last minute to sleep. And was usually running late. Now she still looked sleepy and adorable. It was always small things like that that got to him, completely by surprise. And made it so hard to resist kissing her right there on the spot. Which he couldn't do. Since their relationship was a secret.

He was getting closer, he could say good morning, nothing suspicious about that after all, when Marinette brushed some hair out of her eyes and dislodged the collar of her jacket. Adrien felt his blood run cold as he spotted something that wasn't meant to be there. A faint but unmistakable mark at the base of her throat. She was sleepy, it was clear she'd rolled out of bed and out of her home without even looking into the mirror. It was so typical of her. But it could cost them too much this time. And he hadn't known to warn her. 

Adrien bit back a curse as he lifted a hand to run it through his hair nervously. Think, think, he urged himself. He couldn't just stand there and watch the catastrophe unfold. Just then his fingers brushed against something and he sighed in relief. He'd taken to wearing the blue scarf she'd made for him as a lucky charm. It was perfect. He grasped it and was beside Marinette in an instant.

"Good morning, ladies," he said cheerfully as he wound the scarf around Marinette's neck as casually as possible. "You looked like you needed it," he said, his eyes meeting hers fleetingly in an attempt to send her a message. But just then Nino arrived too and whisked him away. Adrien could only look over his shoulder at his unsuspecting girlfriend as she looked at Alya in confusion and just shrugged.

Of course it was too much to hope that this would be the end of it. When they arrived in their classroom a few minutes later, Adrien realised this was only the beginning. Marinette was sleepy and absent-minded. She'd probably thought that the scarf was just a romantic gesture not a secret gift from him to help her keep their secret. She shrugged it off without thinking about it and Adrien could only watch in horror as her hand again pushed her collar away, revealing the incriminating mark. He couldn't do anything without attracting too much attention. He could only hope that Alya would somehow miss it.

"Marinette, is that a hickey?" He heard her say then. Nope, no such luck. Nino, who'd heard Alya's comment, also looked at her in shock.

"What? No!" Marinette rushed to say. But her hand went to the exact spot where the mark was. Their eyes met for the briefest moment. But it was enough.

In her eyes he could read it all. She remembered his lips on her skin, a giggle and a light rebuff because it tickled turning into a gasp and a barely contained moan as he lingered there. He'd teased her about it before going back to the same spot, on a mission to elicit the same reaction from her. He could still feel her fingers in his hair as she held him close. Neither of them had thought to check if their little game had left a trace. He'd been certain he'd been gentle, not rough enough to bruise her skin. But he must have gotten carried away. He'd never leave a mark on purpose, too much was at stake, but they'd been careless. And now it was too late.

"I know what I saw. Do you have a secret boyfriend?" Alya went on, determination written all over her face. And he knew it was doomed. Marinette had to lie too often for her liking and one would have thought that she'd be used to it by now. But she still tended to get nervous and think of impossible excuses when she was under pressure and unprepared. As she was now. If Alya didn't suss it out on her own, the scarf could now be used against him, Marinette would just give herself away. 

"Of course not," Marinette squeaked, denying even though it was useless. Alya smiled wickedly, obviously sensing she was close to the truth. 

"Now, who could it be? Why would you need to keep him secret? Is it Chat Noir?" She asked triumphantly, pointing a finger at Marinette. Even Nino looked scandalised by the suggestion. 

Adrien could see how it would happen. After all, he'd been on the receiving end of Marinette's panicking many times. She'd grasp at this opportunity, decide to use it. But it was not a good idea. Even a small rumour of Marinette being in a relationship with Chat Noir would put her in danger. Alya might not do it on purpose but she loved stirring trouble with whatever information she had on the superheroes. So this was not an option. 

He had to step in. He couldn't just stand there and watch his lady get roasted over something that was his doing. They'd face whatever it was together. Also Alya and Nino were their closest friends, it wouldn't be so bad for them to know. They'd understand the need to keep it under wraps. 

"It's me," he said, stepping in next to Marinette. Alya looked at him wide-eyed, while Nino gasped next to her. Marinette shot him an uncertain look but he just nodded encouragingly. 

"Of course, the scarf! I was so stupid not to make the connection immediately!" Alya exclaimed. "Why is it just now that we hear about this?" She asked when she recovered somewhat. "If there are hickeys, this must not be that new, right?" She directed the question at Adrien, accompanied by a raised eyebrow and a sly smile. He felt his cheeks warm up. Next to him, Marinette squirmed, trying to cover the incriminating mark that had started it all. 

"Um," he started, nervously. "We decided to keep a low profile. Because of my fans and my father, you know." This wasn't technically a lie, just not the whole truth. Understanding dawned in their friends' eyes. 

"You should try being more careful then," Alya said, crossing her arms with a huff. But she was eyeing them with unguarded happiness in her eyes. They should be ok. 

"Absolutely," Marinette piped in. "Thanks for understanding. This was definitely a one-off," she added, shooting Adrien a look. He tried to laugh it off.

"Definitely."

Marinette then surprised them all by turning towards Adrien. She rose on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear as she wrapped the scarf around his neck.

"You should be grateful that Ladybug's suit has a higher neckline," she said quickly and pulled back. She was smiling but there was a dangerous glint in her eyes. Oh, this wasn't the last he'd hear about that. But she was right. It could have been much worse. What if she had to transform before she had time to cover the mark up and Alya saw the same hickey on Ladybug that she'd just seen on her friend? It didn't bear thinking. But his luck hadn't deserted him completely it seemed. 

"Thank you," he said, making it sound as if he was thanking her for the scarf. But it was for so much more. Her smile softened and she shook her head fondly. He'd be forgiven. Especially if he could find another spot to kiss that would drive her crazy. A more hidden spot where a mark wouldn't cause a problem, he thought, trying to hide his own grin. He couldn't wait for the quest to find it to begin.


End file.
